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The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival. Before this revival people believed that God had already decided their fate. Now, however, they were told that they could be saved by doing good works.
Leader: Charles Finney -
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Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement. The movement taught that people should transcend (go beyond) logical thinking and use emotion and intitution to reach understanding. Transcendentalists urged people to question society's rules and institutions and pushed for non-conformity.
Leader: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau -
The Liberator is Started
William Lloyd Garrision, a white man, starts an abolitionist newspaper called the Liberator. Garrison demanded that slaves were freed immediately. -
Abolitionist Movement Grows
A poster saying "Land of the Free, Home of the Oppressed" appears, forcing people to consider the institution of slavery in the U.S. As people considered this, the abolitionist movement grew. -
Horace Mann Pushes to Improve Education
Horace Mann was elected to lead an educational board in Massachusetts. He pushed people to vote for pay taxes in order to build better schools, pay teahcers higher salaries, and establish teacher training programs.
Leader: Horace Mann Mann's work in Massachusetts began a wave of educational reform within the U.S., as he pushed for universal public education for all. -
Model Community Brook Farm Started
George Ripley started a community called Brook Farm near Boston, Massachusetts. This community was founded on "brotherly cooperation" rather than competition.
Leader: George Ripley Hundreds of model communities sprang up around the country, although many of them disbanded after a few years. Nevertheless, these cooperative living communities illustrate the belief that many Americans held at this time: people are good natured and a perfect society could be built on that. -
Dorothea Dix Visits a Jail
Dorothea Dix visited a jail to teach Sunday school, but was horrified by the poor living conditions. Dix began visiting jails throughout Massachusetts. Soon after, she began pushing to reform how prisoners and people with mental illnesses were treated while institutionalized. -
Senecal Falls Convention
300 people met for the Seneca Falls Convention. During the convention the Declaration of Sentiments was created, which called for women's rights. The Declaration of Sentiments was modeled after the Declaration of Independence, and says "We hold these truths to be self-evident...that all men and women are created equal."
Leader: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Elizabeth Blackwell, Susan B. Anthony -
Education Reform Continues
By 1850 many states adopted Mann's ideas. Most white children (especially boys) attended free public school. There was still more work to be done. Most high schools and colleges did not admit girls. Few public schools in the south admitted girls or African Americans. -
Sojourner Truth Speaks
When a group of people met to discuss women's right Sojourner Truth stood up and spoke about the hardships she endured as a slave woman. Sojourner Truth represents two reform movements: abolition and women's rights.
